"I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it." — William Faulkner

Tag Archives: Nineteenth Century Literature

In a telling bit of dialogue about a fourth of the way through Cary Fukunaga’s impeccably directed adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, a brooding Rochester (Michael Fassbender) asks the alarmingly beautiful Jane (Mia Wasikowska) to tell him her tale of woe. You see, all governesses have tales of woe. They make great stories.

While Jane Eyre targets the refined literary crowd with its tale of woe and romance, the surprisingly adept but still a bit creaky contemporary haunted house tale of woe, Insidious, targets the not-so-fickle horror crowd.

Mia Wisakowska bewitches in Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre.

Nineteenth century feminist literature is not typically my cup of tea. I’ve not read Bronte’s tale. Nor have I ever seen any previous film adaptation, and they are legion. But like the works of Shakespeare, I know the story. Rave reviews, including a most excellent piece from Wonders in the Dark‘s own Sam Juliano, peaked my interest. Superb production values, understated but quietly sweeping cinematography, and a note perfect score from Oscar-winner Dario Marianelli help make this a world-class endeavor.

But the greatest appeal of this latest adaptation (apart from the uniformly excellent performances) is Cary Fukunaga’s direction. Continue reading →